tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post5801312210957002586..comments2024-03-28T10:47:09.173-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: WEDNESDAY, Jul. 29 2009 — 1970s self-improvement program / Where Olaf I or Olaf II sat / Storied monster informally / Cold War propaganda disseminatorRex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger108125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-47026357737627153022009-09-03T17:42:45.405-04:002009-09-03T17:42:45.405-04:00I don't have a problem with baseball, although...I don't have a problem with baseball, although I have never been much of a fan. Jazz is good. Of course Etta James comes up a lot, but I haven't seen a lot of other jazz related clues. It would be an interesting puzzle, but I bet a lot of the younger solvers would be irritated with it, particularly if there are two jazz answers that cross each other. It is pop music and rap music that I find irritating because I don't listen to this stuff and only know what comes up in passing in other media. It is important, though, if you are going to solve crosswords to learn as much as possible about strange subjects, like mythology, poetry, baseball, football, opera, pop music, TV and movie trivia, etc. A little geography is useful as well.<br /><br />A lot of the pop culture references in the NYT are New York or east coast related. It was fun recently to see a fast food chain located in the west to be the answer. The east coasters were all agog that they had to know such a thing. :-)Singernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-76661310581041261932009-09-02T21:05:12.790-04:002009-09-02T21:05:12.790-04:00This was way too easy and boring for a Wednesday p...This was way too easy and boring for a Wednesday puzzle. Enough with baseball, already! Why don't we see more clues, answers, and themes from the world of jazz? I would love to see Brubeck, Desmond, Getz, and Mulligan find their way into crosswordland.Dr. Robnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70073632948673735722009-09-02T19:59:02.475-04:002009-09-02T19:59:02.475-04:00I basically ignored the circles. Didn't even l...I basically ignored the circles. Didn't even look back at them when done until I read the blog - totally forgot. Didn't matter. Puzzle was easy, but somewhat awkward in places, particularly SHORT WINDED for terse. I started with short worded, which really is ugly. I guess if you are short of wind, you might be terse because you can't catch your breath. Ugly cluing, IMHO. <br /><br />My overwrites, besides short worded, were exit for AFAR, and nick for NORA (hate that one - don't want to be a sexist). I do think Nora was as essential to that detective team as was Nick.Singernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57859713858336652622009-07-31T01:05:44.912-04:002009-07-31T01:05:44.912-04:00Anyone else like that SOSA crossed with the answer...Anyone else like that SOSA crossed with the answer containing RANGER? SOSA was on the RANGERs at one point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-4914299025202898632009-07-30T06:41:31.257-04:002009-07-30T06:41:31.257-04:00@ retired_chemist said...
@ hereinfranlin -
I ...@ retired_chemist said... <br /><br />@ hereinfranlin - <br /><br />I figured U. Tenn. would arouse the same ire as Cal. U. did with me and others. Just. Ain't. Right.<br /><br />...<br /><br />As one of the ired "others," I remember it as U. Cal. which is Just. As. Offensive.<br /><br />Last!? (Sorry, @fergus.)<br /><br />LarryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-52281212078509258482009-07-30T00:45:51.484-04:002009-07-30T00:45:51.484-04:00A fine coda to today's commentary.A fine coda to today's commentary.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56962024285893698512009-07-29T23:47:15.983-04:002009-07-29T23:47:15.983-04:00Stan, they've been crap all year so far, but n...Stan, they've been crap all year so far, but now showing some life. If the others in the division beat up on each other, maybe the A's with a great August run can get into contention? I dislike being a pathetic wishful thinker when the team is a dozen games out, but I really liked watching the last four innings of the A's beating the Yankees on Saturday. Crappy fan that I am, I lose interest when my team falters.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70610771639847377922009-07-29T23:36:59.645-04:002009-07-29T23:36:59.645-04:00Andrea and I are close contemporaries and for her ...Andrea and I are close contemporaries and for her to have no est (since erhardt liked to use lower case) stories seems like a willful obliteration of the late 1970s. She on the East Coast and me on the West at that time may be the reason. It was routinely ridiculed. Actually, I only have one personal experience of an est graduate, where they messed with ones's mind by a steadfast overcoming of a lack of self-confidence. But the unsure guy was OK. He produced a wonderful, beautifully edited hour-long DVD of our escapades in 1978-9 at our hippie place in Berkeley, which came to me by various means that probably wouldn't have happened in the 19th century. Or 20th, for that matter.fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78324145872076057982009-07-29T23:34:40.356-04:002009-07-29T23:34:40.356-04:00@fergus:
Your A's have just trounced my belov...@fergus:<br /><br />Your A's have just trounced my beloved BoSox for two nights in a row! Talented young team, there.<br /><br />Is this off-topic? Not today...Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-19984424391119299012009-07-29T23:04:02.833-04:002009-07-29T23:04:02.833-04:001. @Joseph: Brilliant! (Do you study Talmud in you...1. @Joseph: Brilliant! (Do you study Talmud in your spare time?)<br />2. Now all I need is an explanation for why NBA was @ the center of a baseball puzzle. <br />3. Incidentally, did anyone else notice that the teams (like their positions in the long answers) represent the middle of their respective divisions (i.e. no leaders & no basements).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-23048288790324396232009-07-29T21:39:55.221-04:002009-07-29T21:39:55.221-04:00Who says Nessie is a girl????
I also thought Schu...Who says Nessie is a girl????<br /><br />I also thought Schulz had a t. <br /><br />@Andrea: I'm glad you have no Est story!! Will have to remember that endearment, my little spittoon. Wonderful. Crosscan!!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57925117896533374162009-07-29T21:38:26.532-04:002009-07-29T21:38:26.532-04:00@acme: agreed. This is a boy puzzle, so YEASTY, O...@acme: agreed. This is a boy puzzle, so YEASTY, ONESIDED. When are the NY Times executives going to get over themselves, and publish women in equal numbers? I wouldn't mind today's 'boy puzzle' if women were published as often as men.Equal representation-it's surprising that the NYT editors don't get it.Sue Knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-28994880296570898172009-07-29T21:27:07.655-04:002009-07-29T21:27:07.655-04:00I knew NORSE GIANT THRONE didnt smell right. Also...I knew NORSE GIANT THRONE didnt smell right. Also misspelled SCHULZ as SHULTZ for a minute or two...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-51963229102346495902009-07-29T21:10:53.295-04:002009-07-29T21:10:53.295-04:00@Sara: Thanks!
@eisenberg: Great post. Still laug...@Sara: Thanks!<br /><br />@eisenberg: Great post. Still laughing at "I HAVE NO EST STORIES"Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-6861134482886721322009-07-29T21:05:10.646-04:002009-07-29T21:05:10.646-04:00@PuzzleGirl Totally agree about yeasty. Blech.@PuzzleGirl Totally agree about yeasty. Blech.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06707253125941238251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-81082861386459565172009-07-29T20:57:19.149-04:002009-07-29T20:57:19.149-04:00@andr-a:
Quick brown va-va-voom fox jumps hot l...@andr-a: <br /><br />Quick brown va-va-voom fox jumps hot lazy dog.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-9457836295607598172009-07-29T20:30:28.536-04:002009-07-29T20:30:28.536-04:00TOTAL boy puzzle :(
MET, RANGER, BRONCO, ASTRO, T...TOTAL boy puzzle :(<br /><br />MET, RANGER, BRONCO, ASTRO, TWIN, GIANT, RAY, SOSA, NAB, SAC(?!) fly, NBA, DEKE, ONSIDE, UTENN, OSU, GROG, LEER<br />all that was missing was John Lennon's penis!<br /><br />(OK, there was NORA and IRMA and NESSIE, but those are canceled out by JIM, ENO and SCHULZ)<br /><br />YIN is the female in YIN/YANG but even that was described as "the dark half"!<br /><br />I can't decide if I like or dislike SOSA crossing with SOSO and ONSIDE and ONESIDED<br /><br />And for the million times I have seen the name Charles Schulz, I'm shocked there is no T!<br />(Minnesota boy by the way!)<br /><br />@Crosscan<br />Not that I would ever even sort of disagree with you, my little spittoon, but Anyone who is one e short of a pangram should be sought out! Do you know how hard that would be to do? You'd have to be brilliant!<br /><br />@Rex<br />I HAVE NO EST STORIES!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Tell Sandy, in Sweden, they call an outhouse toilet a "Norwegian throne".<br /><br />weak bleedovers: THENET/ANET, IRE/EIRE<br /><br /><br />THAT said, Q on the bottom row is way qoolandrea michaels aswas eisenbergnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-56247146669758175992009-07-29T20:06:32.304-04:002009-07-29T20:06:32.304-04:00Stan, I like!Stan, I like!Saranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43566002574445764112009-07-29T19:55:54.648-04:002009-07-29T19:55:54.648-04:00My team, the A's (yes the apostrophe should be...My team, the A's (yes the apostrophe should be there) appears as the pitching coach coming in to advise the southpaw TWIN. How do I know he's a left-hander?fergushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17056002311944010536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20333747185323721002009-07-29T19:02:20.209-04:002009-07-29T19:02:20.209-04:00"My knee is RED SO X-ray it, will you?"
..."My knee is RED SO X-ray it, will you?"<br /><br />"To be like Paul BunYAN KEEp swinging that axe!"<br /><br />Do I have a future in this biz?Stanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58592655461494538382009-07-29T18:33:53.749-04:002009-07-29T18:33:53.749-04:00@submariner: Read Crosscan's comment at 12:41....@submariner: Read Crosscan's comment at 12:41.PuzzleGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06835502266781516627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-2444585422296814222009-07-29T18:33:10.001-04:002009-07-29T18:33:10.001-04:00@submariner - to repeat my comment from earlier to...@submariner - to repeat my comment from earlier today:<br /><br />DEKE is an ice hockey [played on a rink] term for acting as if you are going to go one way [that's the fake], then going another to get around an opponent.Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-67632905238527250022009-07-29T18:31:12.688-04:002009-07-29T18:31:12.688-04:00Let me rephrase my earlier remark:
What is the co...Let me rephrase my earlier remark:<br /><br />What is the connection between rink fake and deke? I have never heard of either. REscue me from my misery.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16838755868297343486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-41611878085644117982009-07-29T18:30:09.653-04:002009-07-29T18:30:09.653-04:00Glitch: I'm over three and I hope Rex doesn...Glitch: I'm over three and I hope Rex doesn't mind my noting my appreciation of your clarifying comment.slypetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05537129206516720012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17140987543808499782009-07-29T17:23:55.894-04:002009-07-29T17:23:55.894-04:00I was totally with Two Ponies and the eh/so-so cam...I was totally with Two Ponies and the eh/so-so camp, but am now intrigued by Joseph's theory. Still, it seems to me that it should be more fun to actually solve the puzzle than try to figure out some imbedded thingy afterwards.<br /><br />@BEQ - can't wait for the Wu-Tang Clan members themed puzzleRobinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00404995201196513974noreply@blogger.com